IMBA - The International Mountain Bicycling Association

If you want to preserve your right to ride, you will need to be fully aware of the most recent literature on the subjects of trail conflict and closure, trail protocol and legal issues. The International Mountain Bicycling Association (IMBA) has a great resource page available. Please check it out and familiarize yourself with the issues that currently threaten your right to ride. If there isn't an IMBA affiliated club in your neck of the woods already, what are you waiting for? IMBA can help you get your local chapter off the ground. Don't wait for a cycling ban... be proactive and make sure cyclist's points of view and concerns are represented in the development of your communities and trail areas.

The recommendations of the Administration quote the City's research into the environmental impact of cycling (page 3). The quote that is presented is misleading and out of context.

The full documentation of the Administration's research into this subject is below. It clearly states that disturbance is equivalent in overall impact between cyclists and pedestrians. It also clearly identifies that short cutting and braiding are largely attributable to foot traffic. These are some of the problems that the trails review in Nose Hill Park is trying to address.

Since cyclists only make up 13% of the users in Nose Hill Park and they have the same overall impact, banning cyclists will, at best, only reduce impact by 13%. This reduction can be achieved without banning an entire user group by improving trail maintenance and designing trails that are stable and can withstand the usage demands.

 

The appeal for most mountain bikers is both the exhilaration of riding and the enjoyment of a natural area.

CMBA supports access for responsible riding in natural area parks such as Nose Hill, Bowmont. We believe that mountain biking is a safe recreation that encourages Calgarians to explore and enjoy the parks and areas within the city. It is also an environmentally friendly alternative to driving to various recreational areas within the city.